Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-08-16
what road it was on; it was an office ana

what road il was on; 1t was an office ana
a rather important one st that. | hadn't
been in my new position more than six
weeks when l fell desperately in love
with 3 girl who only lived a block from
nv office. The attachment was mutual,
and when six weeks had heightened
into six months we were engaged One
night was in February, 1S17-I had
been to see my sweetheart, aud about
midnight was sitting in my Office think
ing of the coming wedding and feeling
as happy as any young msn with bright
prospec ahead Of him could feel, when
word came over the wires that 8 special
freight was coming over the main track
westward, 1t was still thirty miles away
and after recording the fac that it was
coming, my thoughts required to the lit
tie girl down the street.
HE FORGOT THE ORDER.
Ten minutes later the conductor of
the east-bound express came in fer
orders. 'All right, Bill l said, as
glanced up snd saw him, and minute
later he was on his traia speeding away
at twenty-fvem miles, hour gait.
The rear lights were scarcely out
of sight when l happened to look
at my desk. There was nothing
there but my instrument and bit Of
paper, but that bit OF paper wes enough.
There, in plain letters on it, were
the words had written not more than q
quarter Of an hour before, Extra freight,
tell Bill to sidetrack' The express had
to sidetrack, you know, because the
switches were not long enough for
freights. My hair fairly stood on end.
There was that freight coming on with
full steam, with the express gOiGg to meet
ii at the rate of twenty-five miles al hour
| fell back in my chair, and the cold
perspiratiOn broke out au over me
Then | grasped the key to my instrument
and called in succession sill the Offices in
teIyening between the two trains. They
were all daV offices, and the operators
had gone home hours before TIE click
ing Of the instrument sounded, to my
excited Imagination, as loud as the dis
charge Of CdnnOns For five minutes |
called in the desperate hope that some
one would hear me in time to stop the
express. But it was no use. Every OF
fee was closed.
81 dropped the key and ran down stairs
snd ont onto the track. | think l had 8
wild hope that l could overtake the eX-
press, but as soon as | got into the open
air realized the folly of any such at
tempt, and with the feeling Of the
most utter despair l returned to
the Office and dropped into the
chair. But couldn't sit still. The in
strument on the desk seemed to mock me
and the air in the Office seemed sitting
| walked out on the track again and
walked back and forth along the cross
ties waiting for the result. | knew it
must come and instinctively stayed within
hearing distance of the instrument.
A TERREAzE MESSAGE.
at seemed an a5A, but in reality it
wasn't more than half Ga hour, till the
| sounder clicked and | ran upstairs, hop
Jog almost beyond nope that some lucky
circumstance had averted a disaster.
was SO nervous that could scarcely hold
! the key to answer. Then l laid back and
waited as the instrument clicked what
seemed to me to be my death sentence;
! Express and freight coIlided. Nineteen
killed, many Injured
| 1.-TWO weeks later regaiued my senses.
| l had been lowering around between life
and death during the interval and | was
still so weak that | could scarcely move q
! finger. But l recovered rapidly and then
/ they told me the awful details Both en-
gineers and the conductor OF the passen-
| ger train, as well as sixteen passen-
gers, had bsen killed. The list of
! injured ran up to nearly fifty.
The trains had met on q curve and
the passenger had been thrown over an
embankment thirty feet high. The COZ
oner's jury had heard all the details and
had exonerated me, although, l tel,
you now, would rather at that time
they had hung me. All through my sick
ness my sweetheart watched over me and
nurSed me and when l recovered she wss
kindness and consideration Itself. But !
was in no mood for love-meking
GAS soon es l WAS able to leave the
hospital l went to P4ttsburg, and from
there came out here, intending TO stay
a month or SO, till my nerves would gel
stronger. l stayed all summer, and tDer
it was so quiet and secluded here that
built me this little cabin and I've beer
here ever since.
Chow do live? Well, | had little
money in the bank and it don't cost mucl
to live up here. When the moneys a.
gone, l reckon I'll be ready to go my
self. - Pittsburg Dispatch.